“I just tried to play something that felt like home,” the legendary flat picking guitarist Doc Watson told the Country Music Hall of Fame when looking back on his iconic career. In light of this philosophy, the seven-time Grammy Award winner likely would have been very pleased to see what was happening this year at the 37 annual MerleFest, the Americana music festival honoring his memory.
The music played on the festival, which is named after Doc’s late son and fellow musician Merle Watson was warm, witty, inviting, and heartfelt, the kind of sound that makes anyone feel right at home, especially when it’s played in North Carolina’s beautiful hill country.
Enhancing this atmosphere at the festival’s famed Doc and Merle Watson main stage and two other sites at the four-day event were inviting, richly textured and colorful lightshows designed by Nehemiah Grubbs. Not only did Grubbs evoke a wide range of welcoming moods on stage, but he also created an immersive aura around it by lighting the surrounding wooded area in vibrant colors.
Helping Grubbs create this captivating design was a collection of 76 CHAUVET Professional Maverick Storm 2 BeamWashes, Rogue Outcast 2x Washes and COLORado 1 Solo pars, supplied by SE Systems.
“There is a lot of history surrounding this festival,” said Grubbs, who served as production manager as well as lighting designer for the event. “SE Systems has been handling full production of MerleFest since its inception 35 years ago. Cliff Miller, the owner of SE Systems, had a long history with Doc Watson, providing audio for his shows, and touring as a guitar player for many years. We tried to reflect this tradition with our looks.”
To maintain an open, friendly atmosphere throughout the festival and on its stages, Grubbs opted to go with uncluttered looks. This was especially important at the main stage, which hosted stars like The Avett Brothers (who were introduced by the governor of North Carolina), Bonnie Raitt, and the Juno Award winning bluegrass quartet, The Dead South.
With talent like this on stage, Grubb wanted to create some visual sizzle, without detracting from his desired uncluttered look. The Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash and Rogue Outcast 2X Wash helped him and his team (Michael Lowery, -L1 and Katherine Braswel, L3/Production Manager) achieve this goal with flying colors, quite literally!
“The Storm 2 provided some really interesting eye candy effects with the pixel capabilities,” said Grubb. “It looked great on IMAG. The Rogue 2X wash was used to handle all front key lighting, the smooth dimmer curve and its white color values really stood out. We got a lot of variety, with taking up a lot of space.”
Seeing mega-talented national acts perform on a cozy stage backed by tall pines and oak trees bathed in light, created a homey mood for the large MerleFest crowd. It was a feeling Doc and Merle Watson would have liked very much.
Photos provided by CHAUVET Professional
Further information about CHAUVET Professional: www.chauvetprofessional.com
